A need has been recognized in industry for a standardized non-destructive technique that is readily adaptable to automated manufacturing processes, whereby the strength of a bond connecting an electrical connector to a metallized surface on a crystal can be precisely measured.
A specific need has arisen in the semiconductor industry with respect to the manufacture of silicon solar cell arrays for a non-destructive, non-contact technique to measure the strength of weldments that bond electrical connectors (typically copper tabs) to a metallized surface (typically a surface upon which successive layers of metals such as, e.g., aluminum, palladium, titanium and silver, are plated or deposited by vapor deposition or sputtering) on a silicon crystal.